Bangalore is a construction project en masse.
Everywhere you go everything is being built. Homes are slowly rising
from empty fields, sidewalks appear or disappear, and streets are in
various states of disrepair. It feels like a new city is perpetually
being born.
In large part it feels that way because a new city is
perpetually being born. In 2000, Bangalore had about 5 million
residents. Today it has just fewer than 10 million. That’s a 200% growth
rate. By comparison, New York’s growth rate in the same period was 3%.
Los Angeles grew less than 3%. Bangalore, and by extension India, is
growing very, very fast.
With growth comes growing pains and Bangalore is no
exception. As my last post highlighted, traffic is ever present and
follows no particular rules. Cows roam the streets. Stray dogs liter the
city, sleeping during the day and prowling their territory at night.
Trash clogs the rivers, sewers, and sidewalks. Shantytowns fill
undeveloped pockets. Homes consisting of nothing more than straw, a
tarp, and gravel line some avenues. People are everywhere. Traffic
noise, especially honking, provides the city its incessant soundtrack.
Auto rickshaws vie for space with trucks, cars, bicycles, pedestrians,
and each other. Stores are crammed into every available building space.
Smog fills the air (and everyone’s lungs). The power cuts out multiple
times a day (thankfully we have back up power). Street vendors hock
their wares day and night asking 15 Rupees (10 for locals) for
everything from coconuts to mangos to chai to roasted corn. If Charles
Dickens were alive today, I firmly believe that India would be his
setting of choice.
Despite these growing pains, the city is infused
with excitement and a sense that it is going somewhere. Banglore has
become the Silicon Valley of India. The IT industry is very strong here
and you can’t throw a stone without hitting another start-up. Every
professional I meet wants to discuss the latest and greatest idea. Based
on the number of lavish hotels, nice cars, and sprawling new homes I
see it would appear that wealth is on the rise. India is trying some
creative ways to manage this growth. Indeed, the Western world has a few
things it could learn which I will highlight in a post later this
summer.
This eclectic mix of constant rebirth and
excitement is enhanced by India’s deep sense of culture and tradition.
Hindu temples and Muslim mosques dot the landscape. Hindu gods are woven
into advertisements, signs, and statues around the city. Some women
wear traditional Saris, while others adopt more modern threads. And the
food (the food!) varies by region, culture, and history. You haven’t
experienced Indian food until you’ve supped on Chicken Biryani (spicy
chicken cooked with rice) with your hands, dined on a Masala Dosa with
curry and chutney (again with your hands), or savored every last drop of
Gulab Jamun (slightly fried dough soaked in sugar). It takes every
ounce of will power I have to resist having a mango lassi (a mango
yogurt drink) each day.
Life here isn’t always easy – even the locals say
so – but it’s definitely interesting. I have a feeling that when it
comes time to leave in seven short weeks it will be difficult to say
goodbye.
Next Post: Oh the places you’ll go: Mysore, the Taj Mahal, and Mumbai
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